You're the Greatest Thing I've Ever Known
by Ruler of the Fake Empire
Summary: "And Arthur, you will never know how much I love you." He's going to make me cry. "Even when you were small and angry, even though we fought, even though you're sometimes angry at me for no reason and I take it too seriously. Even though I can't make tea and you can't cook. Even though our boys are all grown up. Even though it's been so long I will always love you."


And he's looking at me, he's looking at me like he's happy, and I don't know how to look back, so I'm staring at my hands as if they interest me greatly. They don't. They're just my gloves; I've worn them before. Years. Even longer if you think about all the other versions I've worn over the past few hundred years. They're a part of my uniform. I don't want to be wearing my uniform.

It's the nicest, most uncomfortable thing I own, and when my eyes flicker up he's still looking at me, and he's smiling now. He has to wear his uniform too. I like his more than I like mine. I look back at my white gloves, and I feel all rosy on the inside and I can't stand that he's looking at me like that. I want to hit him or cover his eyes. But I don't. I stare at my shoes.

They're nice shoes, good shoes, Francis brought me these shoes. From Paris. Huh. Francis. I like Francis. I think Francis is the greatest thing since sliced bread. I smile up at him at the thought. I should tell him that when this is over, I don't tell him enough.

He's still smiling at me.

The man is saying something; I don't pay attention until it gets to the good bits. I just agree to everything. He's holding my hands, and I have lived for thousands of years but I can't think of a moment I would rather inhabit. Even in my uncomfortable uniform that I don't want anymore, even though I woke up too early this morning, even though I want to hit him, even though I'm wearing too many buttons. Even though everything.

He's my favorite.

And then he starts to speak and he's squeezing my hands and all I can see are his eyes and his voice is the move beautiful voice I have ever heard in my entire life.

"And Arthur, you will never know how much I love you." He's going to make me cry. "Even when you were small and angry, even though we fought, even though you're sometimes angry at me for no reason and I take it too seriously. Even though I can't make tea and you can't cook. Even though our boys are all grown up. Even though it's been so long." And there is nobody in the world but him; just him and me, standing with our hands together, in our most uncomfortable clothes. And he's crying I realize, and I must be too. "And I can't believe I've got you, I can't believe we got to this point, I can't believe we survived each other, and I am so glad, and I always be glad to hold you in my arms and thank whatever god gave me you."

"And, and, and I hereby vow, that I will love you, and defend you, and brave you're cooking skills, and keep you safe until we are dead." And his voice hiccups and I think this is the most undignified he's look since the revolution. I want to hold him.

And I'm staring at him, and he's staring at me, and he's crying and smiling and I realize that it's my turn and I can't remember anything about anything. All I can register is that he loves me and I want to punch the fucking air because Francis Lucius Bonnefoy and whatever name preceded that fucking loves me!

I let out a choked laugh.

"I… I can't remember what I was going to say," I cover my mouth with my hand and giggle deliriously. "But, but… I love you. I don't know how else to say it, I'm no good at saying it because you're so beautiful." I look back down at my shoes and our hands. "And I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you a thousand times, I love you times infinity. I love the way you walk, and I love the way you talk, and the way to recite poetry at inappropriate moments, and I love your tea even though it's bad, and I love everything about you, even the things that make me mad." And he's still crying, and I don't want him to cry so I stop, and I sniff though I could go on. "And," And I'm crying too now. "And even when I'm crap you look after me, even when I complain and make bad jokes, even when I'm mad at you. And if someone offered me the world right now for that, I'd sock them in the mouth so hard their brain would burst out the back of their skull." And he's laughing through his tears and squeezing my hands and I can't tell whether I've said the right thing.

"And I hereby vow…. I hereby vow that I will love you, and defend you, and if you're in trouble I will try to save you, until we're dead."

And then he's pushing a ring onto my finger with shaking hands and I'm pushing a different one onto his and we've both worn them before, done this before, but it's never mattered this much before, it's never taken this long, I've never had to wait, he's never had to wait. It's heavy on my finger; I like it. It's got his initials engraved on it, and something I'll read later.

And the man's going to tell me that I get to kiss him now, and I can't bare that, so I launch myself at him because I want to hold him and he's mine now and he's crying and I'm crying and you have to look after things that belong to you. And I kiss him, god, I kiss him, press my lips to his and wrap my hands around his neck and into his hair; damn, I love his hair. And his arms are tightly wound around my waist and he's kissing me back and everything is good. And somebody was laughing and it wasn't him, but he felt like laughing. And after we kiss Francis lifts me up into the air and spins me around and we are laughing and this has to be the best moment of my entire life.

And when Francis puts me back down again he presses his forehead to mine and we stare at each other and people are clapping and cheering because it is finally, finally happening.

"I'm your husband," he whispers to me, "And you are the greatest thing I have ever known." And I hold his perfect cheeks and stare at his perfect eyes and kiss him again because I want those words to ring in my ears forever. 


End file.
